1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fruit holder constructed for removable attachment to the open top of a bottle such as, for example, a beer bottle. The fruit holder includes a wedge holder integrally formed thereon whereby a fruit wedge such as, for example, lime may be placed on the wedge holder even while the invention is attached to the bottle. Juice squeezed onto the wedge holder may drain through the invention into the open bottle to mix with the beverage contained therein. Four (4) preferred embodiments are disclosed and claimed hereinafter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that many persons enjoy the taste provided by the addition of a fruit flavor to a wide variety of beverages. Such beverages may include a broad range of products such as, for example, water, tea, soft drinks, beer, wine, and even mixed alcoholic cocktails. Perhaps best recognized by many people is the addition of lime juice to beer, as a result of extensive advertisements distributed by a Mexican beer producer. However, as those advertisements illustrate, the current method for introducing the lime juice into the beer is by lodging a lime wedge into the open top of the beer bottle. The consumer then removes the wedge and squeezes it over the open bottle so that at least some of the juice goes into the bottle. The consumer then typically forces the squeezed lime wedge through the open bottle so that it drops into the beer. Of course a similar operation can be performed with virtually any beverage contained within a bottle-type container. Also obvious is the fact that it is relatively difficult for the consumer to ensure that all of the juice, or even most of the juice, actually finds its way to the intended beverage. Almost without exception, a significant quantity of juice spills down the side of the bottle.
Clearly, there is a need in the art for a device that will not only present a fruit segment with an opened bottled beverage, but also will provide a construction whereby virtually all of the juice squeezed from the fruit section will actually flow into the beverage contained within the bottle. Such a device must engage the open bottle so that the juice may flow therethrough into the beverage, but such a device must also be removable from the bottle so that the consumer may enjoy the beverage into which the juice has been introduced. For purposes of sanitation, any such device must be constructed from a material that can be thoroughly cleaned and should preferably be of unitary construction so that no joints, cracks, nor crevices are present to provide an environment for the growth of bacteria.